MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte may have had a rough start with the United States but this changed when US President Donald Trump took office, an analyst said.

Ernest Bower, a senior adviser at influential Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the security cooperation between the Philippines and the US remains strong and foundational.

“I have seen that he’s (Duterte) moderated his language towards the United States and we’ve gotten signals even this week that the Philippines and the United States are security partners,” Bower told members of the press at the closing reception of a US-ASEAN conference in Makati City.

Bower noted that the alliance is important to both countries and that it remains strong.

“I don’t think we’re gonna go backwards on US-Philippine cooperation. I think that was a rough start and I think I detect President Duterte has taken an opportunity to do a bit of a reset after President Trump was elected,” Bower said.

Duterte and Trump have a lot in common, Bower said, particularly on the basis that they were elected as strong populist personalities.

Bower remains optimistic that Trump will push through with his invitation to Duterte to come to the US this year as chairman of the ASEAN and as an alliance partner. Read More: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/03/03/1677606/analyst-duterte-has-softened-stance-toward-us

Trump’s ‘America First’ has consequences on Phl real estate

MANILA, Philippines – US President Donald Trump’s “America First” stance has consequences on the Philippine real estate sector — which has been driven largely by outsourced jobs from the US — even as industry players remain optimistic on the country’s property market.

In a report, real estate services firm JLL Philippines said the Trump effect could “potentially be a consequential impact on the real estate market in the Philippines.”

“In the context of Trump’s protectionist leanings, the future of the Philippine property market remains uncertain,” said Claro Cordero Jr., head of Research, Consulting and Valuation Advisory for JLL in the Philippines.

At the same time, Cordero said outsourcing and offshoring (O&O) would continue to drive demand for office space.

The O&O industry continues to be one of the bright spots in the Philippine economy. In an era of slow global economic activity and recovery, cost flexibility remains a top concern. The Philippines remains an attractive location given its low attrition and labor costs compared to the US. Despite Trump’s policy stance, the O&O industry is likely to grow, driven by strong government support for programs to enhance the service-oriented skills of the local labor pool. This will continue to drive demand in the Philippine office market,” he said.

The Philippines is regarded as the biggest call center market in the world, beating India two years ago.